Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner received an update on the performance of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) at the CFRS Public Accountability Conference (PAC).
Between 1 April 2025 and 31 December 2025, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has seen an increase in fires across Cumbria after tackling 1,130 fires compared to 835 in the same period in 2024 – an increase of 35.3%. The increase was driven by dry weather early in the year and increased wildfires.
Commercial fires have also increased by 29.7% in the same comparison period equating to an extra 30 commercial fires. The Cumbria Fire Service analysed the causes and established no common trend but has continues to work with businesses on local issues. Of all call outs to commercial properties, 6.7% were false alarms. The Service works with repeat offenders to raise awareness on safety and identify improvements that could be made to reduce fires.
Although overall fires have increased in the county, the service saw a decrease of 7.3% in accidental primary dwelling fires falling from 150 to 139 fires. In the same period, water rescues have reduced by 3% (33 rescues down to 32) and non-fire related incidents, have increased by 2% (1,289 incidents up to 1,313).
The service is well within its target of responding to incidents within 10 minutes for the service as a whole and 15 minutes for on-call with the averages sitting at 9 minutes and 48 seconds, and 13 minutes and 12 seconds respectively.
The Prevention team and Operational crews completed 5,545 Home Fire Safety Visits between 1 April 2025 and 31 December 2025. The Service is within the top 10 services in terms of Home Fire Safety Visits delivered. These visits provide key safety messages to residents in their home to assist in making them as safe as possible in relation to fires. Delivering Home Fire Safety Visits to the county’s most vulnerable is a priority, with 70% of visits being delivered to either elderly or disabled residents, and the remainder to individuals who have characteristics that make them vulnerable to fire.
The Commissioner also received an update regarding CFRS expansion of the Fire Cadets programme in Barrow, Carlisle, Millom and Whitehaven. Fire Cadets is a national youth organisation that aims to inspire and empower young people by providing a safe and inclusive space encouraging personal development and community engagement. CFRS secured £62,000 through the National Fire Chiefs Council to expand the programme in Cumbria following a successful programme in Workington over the last 10 years. The funding will support the creation of the four new units and necessary equipment, and the recruitment of lead volunteers including the provision of first aid and safeguarding training.
Commissioner, David Allen, said: “As Commissioner, a key part of my role is to hold the Chief Fire Officer to account on the delivery of the service to the public. One way I do this is through my Public Accountability Conference to be as transparent as possible.
“Of course, it’s always a concern to see fires increase in the county – we saw a very warm, dry period last year so this is a big contribution to this. I’d like to remind anyone coming to Cumbria to camp or explore, that setting fires in wild or hard-to-reach areas is incredibly dangerous and unnecessary. Wildfires spread at an incredible rate, and a small campfire can destroy large areas. Please be sensible.
“Prevention is the key to safety which is why it’s great to see the Service continue to deliver Home Fire Safety Visits. These are provided to our most vulnerable residents to ensure they are as safe as possible, which is what we all want to see.”
Lauren Woodward, Assistant Chief Fire Officer with responsibility for Service Delivery at CFRS, said: “We are incredibly proud of the continuous Prevention work our teams carry out across the county to maintain and improve the safety of residents and visitors.
“Our range of interventions compliment the work of our partners as we all aim to make Cumbria a safe place to live and visit.
“The preventative work also assists us in keeping our firefighters as safe as possible as they carry out their duties protecting the public.”
If you or someone you know that is vulnerable and may benefit from a visit, contact the Service on hart@cumbriafire.gov.uk.
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